State roster

Top names in California

The names most likely to appear on 1953 California birth certificates, ranked by SSA state records. The SSA recorded 287,488 California births in 1953 across 2,242 distinct names.

Distinctively California

Names that rank far higher here than they do nationally — the ones that say California more than they say America.

#92Rubenoutside the national top 200
#71Manuel#169 nationally
#92Yolanda#171 nationally
#93Brad#164 nationally
#82Gilbert#148 nationally
#52Laurie#103 nationally
#85Mike#136 nationally
#61Lisa#111 nationally
#61Jose#110 nationally
#71Terry#117 nationally
#82Irene#127 nationally
#63Michelle#107 nationally

Girls

#1Linda4,452US #2
#2Deborah3,857US #3
#3Susan3,753US #5
#4Mary3,400US #1
#5Patricia3,324US #4
#6Debra3,295US #7
#7Karen2,461US #9
#8Cynthia2,288US #12
#9Kathleen2,232US #14
#10Pamela2,222US #10
#11Nancy2,210US #8
#12Barbara2,147US #6
#13Sandra1,948US #11
#14Sharon1,655US #15
#15Carol1,597US #16
#16Donna1,554US #13
#17Diane1,534US #17
#18Janet1,447US #19
#19Elizabeth1,185US #21
#20Denise1,068US #31
#21Cheryl1,058US #28
#22Margaret1,023US #20
#23Janice1,007US #22
#24Christine943US #32
#25Rebecca934US #24
#26Catherine894US #35
#27Laura860US #51
#28Teresa855US #42
#29Robin841US #66
#30Judith788US #30
#31Gloria783US #38
#32Brenda774US #18
#33Marilyn772US #36
#34Judy767US #27
#35Diana763US #55
#36Kathy749US #23
#37Paula745US #40
#38Kathryn743US #48
#39Maria742US #68
#40Gail735US #39
#41Victoria731US #82
#42Carolyn715US #25
#43Julie691US #74
#44Katherine683US #63
#45Shirley676US #29
#46Theresa656US #50
#47Martha637US #41
#48Joyce632US #26
#49Joan612US #37
#50Virginia596US #53
#51Beverly594US #34
#52Laurie588US #103
#53Leslie574US #96
#54Peggy543US #44
#55Suzanne532US #78
#56Rose525US #59
#57Valerie525US #88
#58Vicki520US #61
#59Lynn515US #67
#60Ann505US #46
#61Lisa501US #111
#62Bonnie498US #45
#63Michelle489US #107
#64Cathy488US #56
#65Sally475US #81
#66Betty473US #33
#67Roberta473US #90
#68Connie467US #47
#69Jane450US #43
#70Sherry444US #70
#71Terry432US #117
#72Anita422US #89
#73Joanne422US #71
#74Sheila422US #60
#75Michele421US #102
#76Jo418US #54
#77Jean417US #52
#78Ruth408US #62
#79Jacqueline403US #58
#80Dorothy401US #49
#81Darlene394US #75
#82Irene391US #127
#83Wendy387US #110
#84Jennifer384US #116
#85Helen379US #65
#86Stephanie379US #123
#87Terri379US #130
#88Frances378US #72
#89Marsha376US #83
#90Anne373US #80
#91Rita373US #64
#92Yolanda373US #171
#93Elaine371US #77
#94Alice361US #73
#95Sylvia359US #101
#96Rhonda358US #85
#97Yvonne358US #104
#98Cindy355US #99
#99Anna341US #98
#100Jeanne341US #97

Boys

#1Michael7,851US #3
#2Robert6,751US #1
#3David6,384US #5
#4John5,954US #4
#5James5,253US #2
#6Richard5,228US #7
#7Steven3,954US #11
#8William3,858US #6
#9Gary2,940US #10
#10Mark2,878US #12
#11Thomas2,876US #8
#12Daniel2,265US #20
#13Ronald2,189US #15
#14Charles2,120US #9
#15Donald2,103US #14
#16Kenneth1,938US #17
#17Paul1,904US #16
#18Dennis1,810US #19
#19Stephen1,806US #21
#20Gregory1,611US #24
#21Joseph1,496US #13
#22Larry1,465US #18
#23Jeffrey1,429US #25
#24Timothy1,303US #26
#25George1,279US #22
#26Edward1,273US #23
#27Bruce1,232US #28
#28Douglas1,154US #27
#29Frank1,022US #33
#30Anthony936US #32
#31Raymond919US #34
#32Patrick904US #39
#33Scott894US #46
#34Randy893US #35
#35Craig852US #60
#36Lawrence843US #37
#37Christopher798US #63
#38Peter771US #38
#39Terry744US #30
#40Jerry743US #29
#41Brian739US #53
#42Roger723US #31
#43Kevin682US #36
#44Arthur636US #50
#45Alan629US #43
#46Jack611US #57
#47Gerald591US #42
#48Dale587US #48
#49Danny569US #41
#50Wayne554US #40
#51Joe543US #66
#52Philip533US #61
#53Martin517US #82
#54Rodney510US #58
#55Ralph505US #59
#56Keith501US #47
#57Carl495US #44
#58Randall490US #64
#59Steve477US #84
#60Stanley447US #62
#61Jose442US #110
#62Phillip437US #76
#63Glenn436US #67
#64Eric434US #89
#65Henry434US #54
#66Russell431US #71
#67Andrew429US #68
#68Albert413US #69
#69Roy403US #55
#70Rick402US #101
#71Manuel394US #169
#72Walter376US #45
#73Victor375US #106
#74Louis347US #78
#75Ricky340US #51
#76Ernest338US #87
#77Allen334US #81
#78Harold333US #56
#79Fred332US #92
#80Johnny332US #52
#81Micheal330US #88
#82Gilbert324US #148
#83Leonard314US #85
#84Jon313US #120
#85Mike306US #136
#86Curtis300US #86
#87Barry299US #73
#88Clifford295US #102
#89Jay294US #99
#90Vincent293US #100
#91Jeffery290US #109
#92Ruben288
#93Brad284US #164
#94Bradley284US #118
#95Dean283US #105
#96Frederick283US #80
#97Samuel283US #70
#98Don277US #121
#99Howard277US #77
#100Eugene270US #75

On the move since 1952

Rising

↑27Joanne#73
↑20Ricky#75
↑19Robin#29
↑19Rodney#54
↑18Julie#43
↑14Michelle#63
↑12Terry#71
↑11Valerie#57

Falling

↓18Alice#94
↓17Yolanda#92
↓15Jacqueline#79
↓15Howard#99
↓14Eugene#100
↓13Christine#24
↓13Bonnie#62
↓13Frederick#96

Every state

State-level SSA records cover 1910–2024 — a shorter window than the national archive, which runs back to 1880. See 1952 rankings.